"Squint" Your Ears!

Do you trust social wisdom? Clichés have been misguiding performance and behavior for generations. Take a quick look with me, see what you think!

Asking people to listen with "squinted" ears is worth it! Get better results by challenging your associates thinking.

When people are intent on looking at an object they often "squint their eyes" to get the clearest focus possible. They also do it if they do not understand what they are looking at. I think you can change people's performance and behavior by forcing them to "squint" their ears and listen differently.

The use of clichés by management to provide guidance or attempt to motivate people is a sign of weak skill sets and avoidance. They are used frequently and hard to refute because of the general acceptance in sections of society.

Practice makes perfect!
Many will repeat this and stand by this. I find that it is only partially valid. If you have been instructed on how to do a task, it is demonstrated to you and then you do it as you understand it is to be done, you are then to repeat it again and again. You have practiced it. Will it then be perfect? Oh how I wish this was true. Maybe my golf swing could be fixed. Let me add one word to the cliché and you will get the point. Perfect practice makes perfect! Yep! This is where coaching and feedback come in. Hold the standard high and make sure it is practiced perfectly. You and your student will both like the result.
Knowledge is power!
This is a bold and interesting statement. I'm not sure I accept it as it is. If I have a great deal of knowledge but cannot apply it, then maybe I don't have much power. What I mean in applying knowledge is to be aware of concepts and techniques and using them to create something or solve a problem. If I can do that, then I have power. In the current age a case might be made that information is power. Control of information puts one in an advantageous position doesn't' it? I can have little knowledge but if I can control the flow of information, I can be very powerful in terms of the ability to affect outcomes.
The wise learn from experience!
They sure should and they do but who do the "super-wise" learn from? They learn from someone else's experience! If you are trying to accelerate learning, the use of mastermind groups, peer study groups and mentoring are examples of super-wise environments. These are easy to establish. The key is finding an experienced facilitator to guide the group to direct it and continue the learning experience. Advanced groups can get very interesting and meet in interesting places around the world. They can also attract top players and presenters which obviously mean they are expensive. However, you can gain tremendous insights and experience by belonging to local groups that won't require travel which means time. We have recently added something that could work for most anyone interested in learning or borrowing experience through one of our "Virtual Workshops". People around the world interested in gaining experience and knowledge join a facilitated consulting and learning session by using their computers. They pay a fee but it is small compared to the travel costs or live on site cost. Over time tremendous relationships develop while the learning and personal growth of you, the leader, continues. This method is the least expensive yet effective way to help you. You might consider looking into it. www.BorrowExperience.com has resources in this area.

Now that you have been exposed to a different view I challenge you to go through your personal and company library of clichés to see how you can make the concept more powerful. My experience is that once these are changed or completely dispelled in some cases, word selection is a focus and overall communication skyrockets.


Steve Mellinger is an "Entrepreneur" with unique information, experience, skill sets and social networks. His earned degrees are BS, Education, and MA Psychology with doctoral studies. Author of "How to Profit in Any Economy, Commercial real Estate Tactics" which is available on http://www.PBI-USA.com. www.Entrepreneur2Leader.com-offers Psychological and tactical strategies for business building.


Steve Mellinger is an "Entrepreneur" with unique information, experience, skill sets and social networks. He likes to look at business to include both numbers and human impact. His earned degrees are BS, Education, and MA Psychology with doctoral studies.. Author of "Think Like an Entrepreneur-Perform as A Leader" and "How to Profit in Any Economy, Commercial real Estate Tactics" which are available on www.PBI-USA.com. www.Entrepreneur2Leader.com-offers Psychological and tactical strategies for business building.